I had the pleasure of returning to Longreach during my Winter 2018 tour of Central Queensland. This time around I was able to provide a placement for a student to complete their work experience at Longreach State High School . I will always remember my year 10 work experience in 1994 when I worked with a local commercial artist who left me inspired to follow a career in the creative industries. With roles now reversed it felt great to pass on my experience, skills and knowledge to the next generation of artist. With the support of Longreach Regional Council we continued splashing some paint around at the local skatepark to provide an activity to engage young people during the school holidays. The community support for these types of projects was great and I look forward to returning soon to continue the great work.

It was great to return to Blackall State School to work with senior art students recently. We tackled a number of large murals and braved freezing cold mid winter mornings. Students and staff were so keen to participate I missed most of my lunch breaks but it was very much worthwhile as the new art evokes thought, reinforces school values and celebrates Blackall's unique identity.

In September of last year, the Blackall Show Committee decided they needed to create a colourful backdrop for their annual show. Sauce has created many different murals in both Blackall and Central Queensland, so it was easy to organise another trip out to Central Queensland.

Over a series of emails, Sauce, myself and the Blackall Show Committee organised the design, for one of the tallest murals Sauce has created to date. The mural needed to both add colour and be a backdrop for all of the cultural activities and festivities associated with the show. It also needed to create an atmosphere which recognised over a century of history and commitment to community. All while creating a new layer of history for many years to come. Sauce also facilitated workshops and demonstrations at the show. It was non-stop painting!

Once Sauce was in Blackall, it didn’t take long for the locals to say hello and ask about other projects and walls that Sauce could fit in while still in the area. He managed to paint some extra signage, and create a welcoming environment for the local Men’s Shed. The local Magpies also requested a mural, and Sauce was happy to oblige.

During December Sauce hit the road again, and headed back out to Central Queensland for the third time this year. Working with the Emerald team at Anglicare CQ, Sauce, as usual smashed out murals, signage and workshops for the wider community. Since coming back home, we’ve received some more enquiries from Emerald so I’m sure it’s only a mater of time before he returns again.

Last week, Sauce visited Calvary Christian College for the fifth year in a row for the school’s ArtsFest. Sauce has been a regular feature as the Artist in Residence, where he creates murals for the school, facilitates workshops with the high school students and runs lunchtime demonstrations for the wider school community.

In the lead up to the Multicultural festival, Sauce facilitated a series of workshops with the young people of Emerald. This hit wall was at the local tennis club in Emerald, so with the help of the young people, Sauce created a mural with design elements to suit the use and the location.

The stencil art workshops were also customised, as there were two different groups of participants. For the yellow side, the participants were 12-16 years old, which meant the mural was more stencil based and Sauce needed to complete the finer details of the design. On the blue side of the wall, the participants were 16 +. The older age bracket allowed for an intricate design with more details and a complex theme.

Again, with these types of projects, it’s not possible to run programs without the fantastic support from dedicated community workers, so a massive thanks goes to the Emerald office of Anglicare CQ.

After a fortnight in Emerald, it was time to pack up the Mural Truck and get back on the road. This time, Sauce was headed to Barcaldine where he had arranged to paint at St. Joseph’s Primary School and in the CBD.

While Sauce was painting in the town centre, some feathered friends had a sticky beak at all the action. You can check out the excitement on Youtube.

As always, Sauce made the most of his time out West and completed some canvas work and a backdrop for one of the locals in town.

We’ve released a new series of dates for our ridiculously popular stencil art workshops. Now is the time to book in for a workshop (or three!) in the studio in Murwillumbah since they book out fast. See you in the studio.